September 11

Vintage Postcard of New York City (courtesy of Free Vintage Digital Stamps)

Back in 1981, my parents lived in Manhattan.  Tracy and I visited them for Christmas.  One of our sightseeing trips took us to the commodities trading floor at the World Trade Center.  It was the craziest place I've ever been and I didn't understand most of what was going on there but it was fascinating.

Tracy and I spent the first anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks right here in Kauai.  It was the first time we'd been in Hawaii and we came to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday.  September 11 happened to be in the middle of the two dates.  I remember looking out at the ocean and thinking about the vastness of it.

Last night I watched two programs about some of the heroes of 9/11.  I watched footage I've never allowed myself to see because it was too terrible.  Somehow, eleven years after the attacks, I was able to see how remarkable it was that so many survived.  Both shows were about people who had risked their lives, and even died to save others.  Survivors shared their stories, focusing on the way people worked together to help as many people as they could.  It was about the beauty of humanity in its purest form.

So today, I'll look at the vast ocean.  I'll notice how unchanged it seems ten years after I first visited here.  And I'll honor the people who came together during the worst terrorist attack our country has ever faced.